Monday, November 20, 2017

Thanksgiving Centerpiece Workshop with McArdle's

Over the weekend I had the amazing opportunity to take a workshop at McArdle's Florist and Garden Center in Greenwich with a friend. We created these beautiful Thanksgiving centerpieces. I learned so many great tips from the instructor, Michael, and hope I can recreate something on my own again soon.

If you are local, McArdle's is a must visit! It is the oldest family run business in Greenwich, four generations and over 100 years old. I am anxious to get back to visit their gift shop and browse their holiday decor after Thanksgiving.

Whenever I am lucky enough to bring home an arrangement from a wedding or event, once it goes I try to dissect it and understand how the florist put it together. It is both a science and an art. Weirdly one of my favorite things during the class was cutting this wet foam block. Wrapping it with the leaves was more challenging than it seems.

There are so many tips and tricks and flowers to use that I would never pick out on my own. I was a little sad to remove the yellow petals on these sunflowers (by gently pushing back) but it added a different look to the arrangement.

I wish I was comfortable cutting flowers with a knife but I'm not there yet so relied on these clippers. I have a pair in my kitchen drawer dedicated for cutting fresh flowers.